this is a page for

Browsing Tag: basil

Thai Basil Chicken Curry

Here we are, officially remanded to our homes, and quickly finding that eating the same thing is not very fun. It is also a bit of a challenge when running to the grocery store is like a running a gauntlet of coronavirus carrying zombies searching for toilet paper. So here is my take on a simple chicken curry using mostly pantry and basic ingredients. I bought some Thai basil to make Thai Basil Fried Rice and thought this dish would be perfect for the remaining basil. This dish comes together quickly and is full of flavor, perfect for elevating a weeknight dinner after being sequestered on home arrest during this pandemic. Save Print Thai Basil Chicken Curry Prep time:  10 mins Cook time:  30 mins Total…

Tapenade

Have you ever just had appetizers for dinner? You know what I am talking about. Those evenings you are out with a group, maybe it started as a happy hour meet-up, and with the drinks you order some appetizers, some others order some and it becomes a shared meal. After sampling and maybe even ordering more, you just don’t feel like eating a full meal. Tonight was that night for me, except I was at home. I just wanted a few appetizers for dinner, especially a tapenade with some fresh from the bakery bread. Of course, tapenade does not a meal make, so I added a mini Caprese salad and some sliced dry salami and soppressata. Hey… I used what I had available and…

Experiment: Caprese

Last night I decided to try something new with Caprese salad. Instead of just layering the tomato, mozzarella, and basil and dressing with olive oil and balsamic glaze, I wanted to incorporate the basil into the dressing. My thoughts were to put basil into every bite easily and I needed a tasty medium to hold the basil. I could use olive oil (which would have worked just fine), but I wanted to punch it up a little. So, out came the blender and a bottle of champagne. Yes, that’s right… I chose to use champagne as the medium to carry the basil in this experiment. And the results, delicious. Of course, feel free to play with the ratios to get the results you desire. I…

Tortellini in a Basil Sherry Cream Sauce

Here is a pasta dish I believe will really satisfy you. This is a variant of a dish I posted in March – Tortellini with Prosciutto and Asparagus. The difference is perfect for summer – a basil sherry cream sauce. Using fresh basil is a must for this dish and the hardest part of this dish is timing all the parts. So take a chance and expand your repertoire with something new… like this dish! Save Print Tortellini in a Basil Sherry Cream Sauce Prep time:  30 mins Cook time:  15 mins Total time:  45 mins Serves: 1   Ingredients 2 oz prosciutto, diced 4½ oz fresh tortellini 5 oz asparagus, sliced into 1½ inch lengths ½ cup basil leaves, fresh…

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken Fried Rice

Tonight’s recipe is a combination of several Thai Basil Chicken Fried Rice recipes I found during my research and of course, my own little tweaks. The primary tweak is adding more vegetables (a the great recipe extender!) providing different textures and flavors to the standard fried rice. Naturally, the key to this dish is the Thai basil. I have read that Italian or regular basil can be substituted, but I cannot imagine that being possible. Thai basil has a very unique flavor and fragrance – which is what this dish is all about! So do yourself a favor and find Thai basil for this dish. I find it at my local supermarket, but also at just about every Asian market in the area. (Psst, while you…

Pizza Sauce

When you feel like really enjoying a pizza, nothing beats making it yourself. Take out, take and bake, and delivery are all OK, but there is something about making it yourself – especially when paired with my pizza dough recipes – Pizza Dough and Proscuitto, Ricotta and Basil Pizza.  So, here’s a very simple, yet extremely tasty pizza sauce you can make at home. Save Print Pizza Sauce Prep time:  5 mins Total time:  5 mins Serves: 1   Ingredients 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes, drained 3 oz fire roasted red peppers ½ tsp minced onion ¼ tsp minced garlic ½ tsp Italian Herb Seasoning (or dried oregano) ¾ tsp basil ½ tsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp tomato paste &#8539…

Prosciutto, Ricotta, and Basil Pizza

Back in August, I posted ‘Cheater, cheater… pizza eater!‘ on how to make a custom pizza quickly using Papa Murphy’s $5 Fave pizza.  Today, this is the real deal – pizza from scratch. Yep, you read that correctly… homemade pizza dough for one. I apologize to my Chicago friends in advance as this recipe is more like a New York style pizza, but I will get to a Chicago style pizza eventually! This recipe takes a bit of planning to allow the dough to rise, but overall was simple to make when using a food processor. Since it takes time to make, let’s get cracking! Save Print Homemade Pizza Dough Prep time:  20 mins Cook time:  24 hours…